[FOCI]
High Noon at Midnight
Your body is a venomous weapon able to cripple and kill. Watchful as a coiled rattlesnake, you’re ready to evade an attacker, then strike back with fists, elbows, knees, or feet that sink into flesh with the speed of fangs. Fact is, you’ve got a supernatural connection to venomous serpents, the rattler in particular. That spiritual fusion empowers you both offensively and defensively, maybe even eventually giving you power over snakes, or allowing you to become a serpent avatar after shedding your skin.
You make yourself a target, easing your allies’ defense rolls until your next turn.
You get a second wind and can make an immediate recovery roll that doesn’t count against your regular number of recovery rolls today.
For ten minutes, your unarmed attacks inflict 1 additional point of damage (ignores Armor) from venom.
For one hour, your skin grows subtle, supple scales in vulnerable places, granting you +1 to Armor if you do not wear physical armor.
Action to initiate.
You can move a short distance as part of another action. You can move a long distance as your entire action for a turn. If you apply a level of Effort to this ability, you can move a long distance and make an attack as your entire action for a turn, but the attack is hindered.
You are trained in unarmed attacks, assuming you’re not already (because this ability provides no benefit if you are).
You calm an ophidian creature within short range. You must speak to it (though it doesn’t need to understand your words), and it must see you. It remains calm for one minute or for as long as you focus all your attention on it. The GM has final say over what counts as a snakelike creature, but unless some kind of deception is at work, you should know whether you can affect it before you attempt to use this ability on it. If you spend 1 additional Intellect point when you use this ability, you can calm all nonhuman beasts, as the GM determines (aliens, demons, animals that can speak, and forgeborn never count).
Ability Choice: Choose either Gain Rattler Companion or Stupefying Rattle as your tier 3 ability.
You gain a supernatural rattlesnake—a dust diamondback—as a constant companion. It is over 10 feet (3 m) long and follows your psychic commands. You’ll probably make rolls for it in combat or when it takes actions (or it can ease your attacks or your defenses in combat). The companion acts on your turn. If your companion dies, you can hunt in the badlands for a few days to find a new one.
With a slithering flourish and a ghost rattle echoing from some otherworldly source, you redirect a melee attack that would otherwise hit you if you succeed on a difficulty 2 Speed task. When you do, the misdirected attack hits another creature you choose within immediate range of both you and the attacking foe.
After spending ten minutes in the sun, a hot spring, or other such warm location, you gain a free ten-minute recovery roll. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until after your next ten-hour recovery roll.
Ten minutes to activate.
If you successfully attack a creature that you previously damaged with Venomous Strike, you deal 9 additional points of damage. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again during the current conflict.
Ability Choice: Choose either Shed Skin or Spray Venom as your tier 6 ability.
You shed your normal likeness, revealing a terrifying 30-foot (9 m) long rattlesnake. For one minute, your abilities change as follows
You add 8 points to your Speed Pool, 1 point to your Speed Edge, 2 points to your Intellect Pool, and 1 point to your Intellect Edge; and you gain the “air gliding” ability (you can fly a long distance each round). After reverting to your normal form, you lose the benefit of air gliding, your Edge values return to normal, and you must subtract the same number of points you gained in your Pools (if this brings a Pool to 0, subtract the overflow first from your Might Pool, then your Speed Pool, and then, if necessary, from your Intellect Pool). While the ability was active, if you did not deal damage with Venomous Strike, your rolls are hindered by two steps until after your next ten-hour recovery roll. Each additional time you use Shed Skin before your next ten-hour recovery roll, you must apply an additional level of Effort.
Action to initiate.
You hiss and release a spray of burning, flesh-dissolving venom at one target within short range, inflicting a moderate wound (5 points). Even on a miss, you inflict 1 point of damage. If you apply a level of Effort when you make an attack with this ability (either to increase the odds of hitting or to increase damage), you can also choose to spin about as you spray venom, attacking every creature you choose within short range, and the improved chance to hit or deal damage applies to each attack. As with the base use, even on a miss, you inflict 1 point of damage. However, spinning as you spray venom is dizzying, leaving you dazed for a round afterward, during which time all your tasks are hindered.
GM Intrusions: Moving quickly into new terrain reveals unexpected potholes. Even hardened fists or other extremities used in an attack can take damage if a strike lands wrong.
Dust diamondback: level 3, Speed defense as level 4; health 12; bite deals 3 damage plus 1 Speed damage (ignores Armor) on a failed Might defense roll